Downrigger arrangements which are adapted for mounting on boats and the like are well known in the art. Various structures are provided on the downrigger weight for facilitating connection of a fishing lure. The purpose of the downrigger arrangement is to hold the fishing lure deep in the water as the boat is propelled forwardly. Various lure release structures usable in association with the downrigger arrangement for releasing the attachment of the lure from the downrigger weight when the lure is struck by and taken by a fish are also known. A common type of release mechanism is a rubber band which is snugly looped around the fishing line connected to the lure, some variable distance in front of the lure. The free end of the rubber band is then hooked over structure on the downrigger weight. Instead of the use of rubber bands, other release mechanisms can also be employed, such as shown in FIG. 3 of this application, namely, a hairpin-type clasp releasably coupleable with a button fastened to the fishing line, the hairpin clasp being secured to the weight on the end of the downrigger wire. These arrangements have proven to be satisfactory over the years. However, such arrangements are extremely limiting during fishing in that the depth of the lure beneath the surface of the water is controlled by the depth of the weight on the end of the downrigger wire beneath the surface of the water. Thus, in order to troll at various depths, multiple downrigger arrangements are required, which can become impracticable due to space limitations on the boat, or multiple fishing lines are required, each having an apparatus thereon connected in series with the line to the lure and which dives to a certain depth beneath the water to keep the lure at that depth. If many of these lines exist, the fear of lines becoming tangled is ever present.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus usable on a downrigger arrangement for keeping a fishing lure at a desired depth, but the depth at which the lure is maintained is independent of the depth of the downrigger weight.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a releasable downrigger clip adapted to be releasably secured to a downrigger wire extending between the downrigger arrangement on a boat and a weight secured to the lower free end of the downrigger wire.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a releasable downrigger clip, as aforesaid, having structure enabling multiple clips to be secured to the same downrigger wire at varying elevations thereon.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a releasable downrigger clip, as aforesaid, that is simple in construction and, therefore, easy to use, especially on boats that are constantly undergoing a rocking motion due to wave action on the body of water.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a releasable downrigger clip, as aforesaid, which is made of spring wire and is inexpensive to manufacture.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a releasable downrigger clip, as aforesaid, which, upon a release of the fishing line from connection thereto, the reactive force of the fishing line breaking away from the release mechanism will be sufficient to release the fixed engagement of the releasable downrigger clip from the downrigger wire to enable the clip to thereafter slide downwardly on the downrigger wire to the next adjacent obstruction on the downrigger wire and to thereby minimize the necessity of the downrigger operator removing such clips at, for example, the time the downrigger weight is being raised from beneath the surface of the water.